They went to London to live the experience of playing with three stars of the famous club. Ricardo Andrés Parra is only eight years old, lives in El Paraíso neighborhood of Ciudad Bolívar with his mother Rosa who works taking care of children. Ricardo studies in the rural school Quiba Alta and what he likes to do the most is play soccer. That hobby precisely has just given him the great opportunity to go to London and play with John Terry, the captain of Chelsea Football Club; Fernando Torres, top scorer and player of the Spanish national team, and Eden Hazard, revelation of the season in the Premier League and pillar of the Belgian team which participated in Brazils World Cup.
Ricardo had never been on a plane nor left the country, however his debut in both these experiences exceeded expectations. He traveled more than 9,000 kilometers through the Bogota-Paris-London route to attend alongside three other Colombian, eight Chinese and two Vietnamese children the ‘Dream the Blues’ program promoted by Korean firm Samsung and the Chelsea Football Club. The programs goal is no other than to bring these stars closer to children like Ricardo, from different parts of the world ,and deliver a simple message: Soccer is, above all, fun. Accordingly, fun is what Ricardo and his adventure companions Edgar David Contreras, Juan Andrés Giraldo and Bryant William Palacios had.
Édgar David has just turned 13 and studies at the Ricaurte Institute; Juan Andrés Giraldo still has 12 and is from the Agustiniano School of Ciudad Salitre, lastly Bryant is 10 years old and is currently in fifth grade of Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera in Engativá. All were chosen by five Chelsea FC coaches sent from London in a process which brought together approximately 180 children. Juan Andrés was the best out of a group of children chosen from four schools, not only for his abilities handling the ball, but also for his sense of teamwork and his natural leadership skills.
Édgar David had the opportunity to win thanks to his dad Armando who obtained the right to register his son in the tryouts when he bought a Samsung refrigerator. Finally, Bryant won because his sister, a Chelsea FC fan, convinced him to go to the CityCapsule of Citytv and record one, of the more than a thousand messages submitted, in hopes of fulfilling the dream. Ricardo Andrés, the youngest of them, was chosen amongst the children of three foundations that work with vulnerable populations through soccer, which Samsung invited to participate in the selection.
As you can distinguish, the four children came from different parts of the country and did not know each other. However, as they boarded the plane they seemed lifelong friends united by the expectation of visiting one of the most beautiful cities in the world, one of the most successful soccer clubs in Europe and the illusion of meeting three of the stars they see every week in the matches of the coveted European leagues. The parents of the three eldest children joined them in the trip. William, Leiderman and Armando were almost as eager as the little ones. Ricardo, on the other hand, traveled with Beatriz Correa of the Colombianitos Foundation to which he is associated to.
After almost 12 hours of travel, London welcomed them with an unusual sunny day. An hour after arriving at the hotel, the children were already warming up alongside a Vietnamese and eight Chinese children, as well as Steve and Zak, the trainers. They jumped like Terry, dribbled as Hazard, threw themselves after the ball as Peter Cech and celebrated as Torres. This shared enthusiasm and passion for soccer amongst the kids broke the ice between them despite the differences in language and culture. The next day, Sunday morning, was spent taking photos in the Big Ben and appreciating the English capitals view from one of the 32 cabins of the great wheel that adorns the Thames River. During the afternoon, the children got to see the last match of the season between Chelsea and Norwich at the 137-year-old Stamford Bridge Stadium. On Monday the first training took place, it included two games against juvenile teams. There they were able to discover the forceful kick of their new Vietnamese friend Tien Ba and the skills of a nice little Chinese kid called Ma Jun Jie. In the afternoon, on a new tour of the stadium, they visited the places where the Chelsea team carries out its warm up, where Torres receives his massages and where José Mourinho gives his tactical and motivational speeches. It’s a dressing room with six bath tubs and doubles the space of the visiting teams room. They saw the place where each player sits and where his shirt hangs from and discovered that those players who speak English have their own corner, as do the francophone and the Brazilian band of Óscar, David Lúiz, Ramires and Willian.
The big anticipated day was Tuesday. At about ten o’clock in the morning when the boys were already training, Terry, Hazard and Torres appeared. After clashing hands and exchanging a few words, they went and did their own thing – dribbling, firing shots, kicking corners, and practicing headers- meanwhile the parents and the media followed them around in amazement.
They got to know Torres as a man of few words but always ready to play; a Hazard with the intention of doing playful tricks and a Terry that celebrated each play like a child. The children’s faces reflected how happy they were and their eagerness to show of their game skills regardless of the exhaustion they had accumulated from other games, the trip and the time-zone change. The encounter ended in a match between the professional players and the 14 kids in which Hazard had to hide the ball inside his shirt to be able to score a goal.
Then came the interviews, the autographs and the photos with the boys and the proud parents. Bryant took the opportunity to give John Terry a gift from his family: an image printed on fabric of the glorious episode of the 2012 Champions League in which Chelsea won with him as a captain.
In the farewell, Steve the coach highlighted the amazing reality that was reflected in the photographs taken throughout the last few days. Children who had only spent three days together and had no common language other than soccer had formed strong friendships filled with hugs, jokes and Facebook connections.
The trips objective had been accomplished, Ricardo, Juan Andrés, Bryant and Édgar David returned home with a unique memory that would last a lifetime.
‘Preserving the illusion is what’s important’Fernando Torres, Spanish striker.
I wish, as a kid, I could have had the same opportunity as the one granted by Samsung and Chelsea FC to these little children. The chance of getting to know people from different countries as well as professional players who were just like them when younger, and as in my case, came from humble neighborhoods. I have spent a great time with them and my advice to them is to have fun. I said them ‘you have to enjoy it.’
Eden Hazard, Belgian midfielder
I remember that when I was a child I looked at the professional players on television and then tried to copy what I saw. I think that’s how I learned. I don’t think there’s a secret to be a good passer, as they say I am. I used to play all the time with my brothers in the garden, and over the years those were the characteristics I developed. My message to these kids is to have fun with the ball and work hard. All players as children want to be professionals someday, but in reality only a few are chosen. So, primarily, you have to have fun if you’re either a defense or an attacker, and work very hard.
‘You have to desire triumph’John Terry, English defense
A program like this is very important because children can realize that their dreams can come true if they work hard. Since I was little, my dream was to play at Chelsea FC, and now I’m here. When I was 12 years old I realized that I could be a professional soccer player. Since then, I have taken care of my eating habits, prepared myself and walked away from many activities with my friends. Throughout my career I have been advised many things, but something they have always repeated has been to always desire triumph, which I maintain to this day.
 

VÍA: EL TIEMPO